# San Rafael's delight

**URL:** <https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/san-rafaels-delight/38172>\
**Category:** Image Critiques\
**Tags:** landscape\
**Created:** [November 27, 2023, 3:42pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/san-rafaels-delight/38172 "2023-11-27T15:42:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cathy\_Proenza](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/user_avatar/community.naturephotographers.network/cathy_proenza/32/60936_2.png) [@Cathy\_Proenza](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/Cathy_Proenza)\
**Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 3:42pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/san-rafaels-delight/38172/1 "2023-11-27T15:42:04Z")

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Edited

 ![IMG_6783-3](https://images.naturephotographers.network/original/3X/8/d/8d95f32e1fe9eeb8bfa1a5eb10f53df8233173de.jpeg)

Original

 ![IMG_6783.jpg](https://images.naturephotographers.network/original/3X/3/6/3641e0fc8038d4ba9c0e45dcfda9046272263a9d.jpeg)

> **Critique Style Requested:** _Standard_
> 
> The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

### Description

Yet another fantastic campsite during Thanksgiving week in the San Rafael Swell.

### Specific Feedback

I appreciate any comments thanks. I am struggling to get the white balance and colors to emphasize what I saw in a believable way. What I saw was yellow/gold stripe and diagonal in the foreground, pink-tinged cliffs in the background, and a blue hour sky. What I felt was a sense of serenity in the vastness.

### Technical Details

Canon EOS RP + EF100-400 @ 100 mm  
13.0 s @ f/9.0, ISO 100

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**Author:** ![Diane\_Miller](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/user_avatar/community.naturephotographers.network/diane_miller/32/27391_2.png) [@Diane\_Miller](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/Diane_Miller)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2023, 2:22pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/san-rafaels-delight/38172/2 "2023-11-28T14:22:11Z")

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You found a lovely scene but it is very underexposed. A simple adjustment (pulling the right end of a Curves adj layer to the left) will give a file with more to work with on the WB and colors. On the raw, just balance increasing Exposure, possibly with pulling the Whites slider right a little. I also leveled the apparent horizon. (Maybe went just a bit too far.) Hard to be sure the layers are actually horizontal but it feels tilted. More likely the ridge line is a false horizon. It looks more natural to me to have it receding.

The sky is a bit pinkish so I would start with global WB tweaks (in the raw file) to make its color to your liking and see what that does to the rocks.

 ![IMG_6783-DM](https://images.naturephotographers.network/original/3X/2/4/243a79430518e9ebd0ce419fbdabfec651c38fd3.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![John\_Williams](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/user_avatar/community.naturephotographers.network/john_williams/32/28797_2.png) [@John\_Williams](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/John_Williams)\
**Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 8:32pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/san-rafaels-delight/38172/3 "2023-11-29T20:32:50Z")

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I love the lines formed by your composition , but definitely agree with @Diane_Miller and love the version she came up with.

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**Author:** ![Cathy\_Proenza](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/user_avatar/community.naturephotographers.network/cathy_proenza/32/60936_2.png) [@Cathy\_Proenza](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/Cathy_Proenza)\
**Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 9:08pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/san-rafaels-delight/38172/4 "2023-11-29T21:08:05Z")

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@Diane_Miller @John_Williams  
Thanks for your comments!

Diane, your version is much better, thanks for the tips. I mostly tried to match yours in the revised version. I agree that the sky was too pink, so I cooled it a bit, with the rocks becoming consequently more yellow from the global change. Might be good to use a PS sky mask to handle those separately when I get more time. The only thing I didn’t do is level it because I know this landscape and it is just tilted! So it reads wrong to my eye to make it level 😀